Perforating machine



Aug. 26 .1924. 1,506,094

E. A. SPAU LDING PERFORATING MACHINE Filed March 30. 1923 inventor: mmAs mh 1 Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

EUGENE A. SFAULDING, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

PATENT OFFIQE.

PERFOR-ATING- MACHINE.

Application filed March 1923. Serial No. 628,735.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I. EUGENE A. SPAUL- DING, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State ofMaine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PerforatingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to feeding attachments for perforating machinessuch as are used for perforating paper for bank checks, postage stampsand the like.

These machines are provided with a multiple perforating die and a feedtable upon which the paperrests.

The perforations are made parallel lines and at varying intervals fromeach other and means are provided for feeding the paper a few sheets ata time along the surface of the table to the perforating die.

The feeding is done by means of a socalled apron which is a flat stripof metal extending across the table from side to side and parallel withthe perforating die.

The apron is supported closely adjacent to the surface of the table 'bya shaft to which it is journalled and which also extends across thetable with a pinion at each end engaging a pair of racks, one at eachside of the table and both at right angles to the die. In this way, bothends of the apron are moved toward the perforating die at exactly thesame rate of speed and the apron is always parallel with the die.

To quickly locate the apron at the desired spot, a pawl is provided witha series of stops which may be located at varying distances from theperforating die, each stop having a fixed. surface or a shoulder againstwhich the pawl maybe pressed to accurately locate the position of theapron.

The pawls or stops are so constructed that the pawl and its connectingapron may be pushed toward the perforating die. the pawl passing freelyover the stop but the motion of the apron back and away from the diewill be checked by the stop. In actual operation, the apron is pushed ateach operation toward the die slightly beyond the stop and then broughtback against the stop to bring it to the operative position.

Means are provided for releasing the pawl so that the apron may slidefreely backward.

It will be understood that in feeding the paper through the perforatorthe operator stands in rear of the table and places both hands 'withtheir fingers resting on the paper which in turn rests on the apron.

During the feeding of the paper, it is important that the paper be heldabsolutely rigid on the apron and that it should not be disturbed fromits original position.

My improvement is directed more particularly to the releasing mechanismwhere by the pawl is released from the stop by the action of either ofthe hands of the operator and without removing either hand from itsposition while holding the paper on the apron where it should besteadily held during the feeding operation.

This is accomplished by means of a spacing bar extending along parallelto the apron in position where it can be easily operated by either handor arm of the operator, the spacing bar having connections for releasingthe pawl each time it is touched by the operator.

In the old machines, it has always been necessary for the operator whenhe released the pawl for the purpose of moving the apron backward toremove at least one of his hands from contact with the paper so thatthelatter was liable to be disturbed or displaced while the operatorshand was not in contact with it.

Another object of my invent-ion aside from the one already mentioned isto provide a stop and a rail for containing the same with means forquickly changing the location of the stops for locating the line of theperforations.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide the feed racks with teethunderneath instead of being on top of the same and pinions on the feedshaft engaging said racks with means for adjusting the pinions and theends of the shaft vertically to insure the perfect running of the shaftand pinions with relation to the rack and with means for taking up wearthatmight take place between the pinions and the rack.

These several features of my improvement will be more specificallypointed out hereinafter and the novel features thereof claimed in theappending claims.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated a feeding mechanismconstructed in accordance with my invention in which Fig. 1 is a plan,

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation,

Fig. 3 is an end elevation Fig. 4 is a section on the line 41,

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a plan of the stop and,

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents the feed table upon which afeeding apparatus is secured. Secured on top of the table and extendingback from the perforator are the two feed rails 2 and 3 spaced apart farenough to permit the feeding mechanism to be placed or supported betweenthem. Each of the rails 2 and 3 carries a rack 4 having its teeth on theunder side and engaging the teeth of each rack is a pinion 5 secured onthe opposite ends of a feed shaft 6.

This feed shaft extends substantially the whole width of the table andinsures the constant parallelism of the feed mechanism. Each end of theshaft is journalled in a carriage which runs on a slide rail formed as apart of the feed rails 2 and 3. The carriage 7 runs on a slide rail 8 ofthe feed rail 3 and the carriage 9 runs on the slide rail 10 of the feedrail 2. Means are provided by which the pinion 5 may be raised orlowered slightly with respect to the carriage 9 or 7.

For this purpose, a series of screws 11 extend down through thecarriages 9 and 7 bearing on a gib 12 on the top of the rails 8 and 10.

By adjusting the screws 11, the pinions are slightly lifted or loweredso that any wear taking place may be compensated for.

The two carriages are united by the shaft 13 fixed in sockets 14: and 14one on each of the carriages and by the shaft 6. The two carriages arethus united into a solid structure adapted to slide on the rails 8 and10 toward and away from the perforating punch.

The few at their rear end on the apron 16 which is a thin metal barextending across the machine and uniting the carriages 7 and 9. At therear edge of the apron 16 is secured a longitudinal bar 17 extending theentire length of the apron and supporting a late-ral guide 18 which isadapted to slide along its upper edge being clamped in place by aclamping screw 19.

This guide has at its forward end a guide finger 20 for guiding thelateral edges of the sheets of paper.

The rear edges of the sheets of paper 21 operated upon rest on the apron16 and are held in contact with a guide bar 22 which extends across theapron. The fingers of the operator when the machine is in operation restupon the paper and hold it in contact with the apron 16, keeping itsrear edge pressed steadily against the guide bar 22.

sheets of paper operated on rest The dotted lines 4;, 4 and 5, 5 in Fig.1 show the lateral outlines of the sheets of pa per as the side edgesrest in contact with the lateral guide 20. The paper is stopped at anydesired point as it is fed toward the perforator by stops 23 sliding ininverted T-shaped grooves 24L formed in the. feed rail 2. Extending downthrough each of the stops 23 is a screw 25, the lower end of the screwbeing adapted to contact with the bottom of the groove.

As the screw is screwed downward, the stop is lifted against theinterior surface of the inverted T-shaped groove "and is thereby held inplace.

A spring pawl 26 is pivoted to the carriage 9 with its operative endsliding along the top of the rail 2 so that it will come in contact withthe stops 23 at suitable points.

The relative position of the pawls and the stops is such that as thepaper is moved toward the perforator, the pawls slip over the upper endsof the stops and act to check the motion of the apron and to hold thepaper accurately in place as it is pulled back. -Thus, in feeding thepaper, it is fed a short distance beyond each stop as it lslides underthe perforator and then is drawn back to its real position against thestop.

A spring 27 on the inside of the carriage (see Fig. 4) acts to draw thepawl downward, the spring being secured by one end to the carriage andby the other end to the angle bar 28 which is secured to the end of theshaft 29 which stop extends through the carriage 9 to the pawl on theopposite side of the carriage. I

The end of the an de bar 28 rests on the end of a. lever 30 which issecured to the shaft 13, this rod being journalled in the two op ositecarriages so that it may be rotated slightly.

The rotation of the shaft 13 will tend to lift the end of the lever 30and raising the end of the bar 28 will lift the free end of the pawl.

The shaft 13 is rotated slightly by means of a spacing bar 31 connectedat each end tion of a feed table, a feed bar, a feed shaft j'ournalledto said bar, pinions on the ends of said shaft, parallel racks on saidtable engaged by said pinions, a pawl carried by said bar, a guideextending along the table in the direction of the feed, said pawl beinadapted to be carried along adjacent to sai guide, a stop adjustablysecured] on said guide to engage said pawl and a spacing bar extendinglongitudinally of said feed bar connected to disengage said pawl fromsaid stop.

2. In a perforating machine, the combination of a feed table, a feedbar, a feed shaft journalled to said bar, pinions on the ends of saidshaft, parallel racks on said table engaged by said pinions, a guiderail extending along the table in the direction of 10 the feed, a pawlcarried by said bar and sliding on said rail a stop adjustably securedto said rail for engaging said pawl, a spacing bar extending parallelWith said feeding bar connected to lift said pawl free 15 from saidstop.

EUGENE A. SPAULDING.

